With his piloting skills acquired in the United States Air Force, Colonel Doug Damon was happy to put his skillset to use to help the coaches of the University of Maine on the recruiting trail. So, it comes as little surprise that his son, Derek, would quickly grow fond of the Black Bears. He even got to tag along on a few of his dad’s trips. Derek reminisced, "In the summer of ’91 or ’92, I remember going for a run around Lake Placid with Shawn Walsh, and him saying, ‘One day I want to see you playing for me up here.’"
A native of Bangor, Maine, Damon was only a preteen at the time, but no doubt that dream already had seeped into his mind. "I learned how to skate on the Alfond," Derek recalled. "I learned how to skate just by hanging on the back of (my dad’s) jeans."
The prophecy almost came true. Unfortunately, Walsh had passed away before Damon would enroll at Maine, but still, when the offer came to play in Orono, it was hardly a decision for Derek. "That was a dream of mine to play for Maine, and so, when I had the opportunity, I couldn’t turn it down."
Even though incoming coach Tim Whitehead wasn’t responsible for recruiting Derek, he had noticed him during his time at UMass-Lowell. Seeing Derek up close would give a whole new impression of him. "He had to improve his skating," Whitehead noted. "I practiced him … at defense. It gave him an opportunity to really become a complete player."
Derek took Coach Whitehead’s challenges to heart and would build himself into one of the most valuable members of the program during his tenure. Coach Whitehead certainly appreciated it. "Without a doubt (he’s) one of my all-time favorite players. To see a local guy like that turn himself into a legit, high-level, D-1 player, and go on and play many years of pro hockey is pretty impressive. He’s got to be one of the most improved players that I’ve worked with. (He’s) a great example of what you can do when you put your heart and body into it."
Unfortunately, sometimes even your heart and body will be rejected by fate. Just over five minutes into the 2004 national championship game against Denver, Damon thought he had scored the biggest goal of his career. Yet, teammate Mike Hamilton had just a bit of his skate in the crease, negating the opening tally (remember that frustrating rule?). That game will forever haunt him. "I still can’t watch the championship game," Derek admitted. "To lose 1-0, it was tough because we had such firepower. We all thought we were going to win it. We ran into a really hot goalie that day. They got a timely goal, and they were able to shut it down."
When his collegiate career finished, Derek, like most players, hoped to carry that on to the next level. Derek would put in a strong year and a half with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades, pacing the team in scoring the second year, before earning a late call-up to Albany in the AHL. As he was contemplating his next move, Finland came calling. "I was going to be 27, and I got an offer to go play in the best league in Finland. I felt, at that point in my career, I wanted to maximize the most amount of money that I could while I play," Derek said, pragmatically. His play in Finland, while strong, may not have been enough to have NHL teams salivating, but it did pique interest in him across Europe.
So, the next season, he found himself in the German DEL, with Kassel. Better still, he found himself with former roommate and teammate Josh Soares. "I signed first," Derek relayed, "and then the coach and general manager spoke to me. I said, ‘It’s a home run if you sign him.’" He proved to be correct. You would have thought the pair were still in Orono as they went one-two on the team in scoring (Josh with the lead). However, the team as a whole couldn’t match their success, and it might have played a factor in its bankruptcy. The season would not be a loss, though, as Derek did get to realize one special dream. In the biannual Deutschland Cup, Derek got to represent the USA. Naturally, Colonel Damon came out to watch. "For him to be able to see me in a national team jersey was an amazing, amazing feeling," Derek said. "It was awesome, just to be a part of it."
Despite Kassel’s implosion forcing another move, Derek would benefit. He signed with Villacher in the Austrian EBEL, and finally found some stability. In his rookie season, especially, Derek thrived, putting himself among the league leaders in goals, points — and penalty minutes. "It’s just one of those years," Derek laughed. "I got into a couple of fights, you know? Villach, it’s a hockey town, it’s a hard-working, bluecollar town, so, you just kind of feed into that." Derek’s combination of grit and talent endeared him to the organization and its fans. However, following the 2012-13 season, he decided to change the scenery, somewhat.
"I wanted to try something different, and I’d always been intrigued by Switzerland," Derek admitted. "It’s a tough league to get into, but, once you do, if you do well, you can be there for a while." Derek would do more than well. In his opening season there, Derek led the Swiss B in assists and points, earning that extended stay he had hoped for. Unfortunately, again on a team that he could only help carry so far, his Swiss career would also have an end date. Following the 2015-16 season, the team told him that it had to cut some salary, so it offered to buy Derek out. Though he hated to leave a country he had grown to love, Derek saw it as an opportunity to finally focus on the one thing missing from his career.
"I wanted to chase a championship," Derek confessed. So, when an offer came from Danish powerhouse Sønderjyske, Derek felt he had to take it. True to form, Derek made his strong first impression, placing in the top 10 in both assists and points last season in the Metal Ligaen. This season, Derek received his first bad break, literally, in a long time, snapping his wrist while getting checked. One can bet he will pick up where he left off upon his return. It doesn’t hurt that wife Andrea, a nurse, is helping him mend. "She’s making sure that I’m not doing anything to hurt the wrist at all," Derek praised. "She’s making life really easy for me, and it’s actually harder for her."
Now 37, Derek emphasized that the support he has had throughout the years, whether from his wife who has globetrotted with him, or his parents who still come to watch their son play even though it is now more than a few miles away, has been essential to him being able to have the career he has had. Entering its twilight, his family and their future have become a bigger part of the picture. With two toddlers (Elizabeth and Keith) also now pulling for his attention, Derek realizes the end may be nearing. Perhaps inspired by his mother Cherie’s still active and valuable involvement in the Black Bears’ "M Club," Derek recently obtained his masters in sport management. He hopes to find himself in an NHL front office when the front offices of Europe no longer request his services.
Having yet to show signs of slowing down, that day might not be as close as he thinks.
